15 May The controversial picnic salad

Back when it was Spring, last Monday, we held our annual picnic under the cherry blossoms. The tradition started a couple of years ago with the Japanese Sakura as a model. In Japan they get a day off to relax, eat and drink under the cherry blossoms and this year it worked out that way here, for us, with the perfect day being Bank Holiday Monday. I made a cauliflower and courgette spicy salad with raisins, having no idea how many people object to either cauliflower or raisins in savoury food. Luckily, so many people came that my salad found it’s takers (and lovers), but be warned that though delicious, this is the controversial picnic salad. If you have issues with needing approval and wanting everything you do to be liked, then perhaps this salad is not for you

Break the cauliflower into small cubes and use a potato peeler to slice the courgette very finely. Pour some olive oil over both, sprinkle some sea salt and grill, turning occasionally, until nicely browned for about 6-8min (depending on your grill). You want the vegetables to be ever so slightly charred. Remove from the grill and immediately add a tablespoon of mild curry powder (I used the Jamaican stuff), some raisins and squeeze a lemon over the top. Eat in the sun, washed down with sangria. Hula hoop optional